That's My Sister
by Maran-DUH
Summary: To protect his younger sister, Mariana, Tristan sends her to stay with Rory after he gets sent away to military school. AU. TRORY
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey guys, I'm back. I am so sorry for not writing anything for the past six months but I've been so busy and top that with writers' block beyond belief and you get my long hiatus. I'm really sorry to all of you guys who were reading Rory and Tristan: A Shakespearean Tragedy? but I can't think of a single thing to put in there! I've got like half of a chapter together, and I'm working to try and get some closer to it, and I promise that I will have something out by at least Spring Break. Sorry about talking so much, don't forget about my forum "So You Wanna Talk Gilmore?" I keep checking it as much as I can. Now enjoy this new story:-)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, especially not the rights to Gilmore Girls. However I am the owner of a small concussion. I dislike stairs greatly.

* * *

"Dad! Get the fuck away from her!" Tristan yelled at his father as he saw him approaching his younger sister.

"Don't talk to me like that son!" Mr. DuGrey turned towards Tristan, menace in his eyes.

"If you stay away from Mariana I'd stop talking to you altogether." Tristan spat. His father had been doing this his entire life, and even though he knew that it was wrong he could never bring himself to turn his dad in to the police. It's like they say with these abuse cases, the children feel a special bond to the abuser. It's a sad fact, but it's true.

"Didn't I say not to talk to me like that?!" His father shouted and swept his arm up in contempt, slapping his son down.

Tristan landed on the floor with a thump, a bruise beginning to rise out of the red spot around his eye.

"Now, what about you, little girl?" Mr. DuGrey said, turning back towards his youngest child.

"Don't hurt me! Don't hurt me! I didn't do anything, I swear!" The small girl yelled. Her name was Mariana Lee, and she had just turned 15. She had blonde hair and a sunny tan. The blue of her eyes matched her older brother's. Standing at about five foot three inches she had to look up to see her father's face as he approached her.

"What do you mean 'I didn't do anything'? Little wench!" The elder DuGrey back slapped his daughter, and she fell to the ground clutching her inflamed cheek. Mariana slowly began to crawl towards Tristan, who had stood up, and was slowly making his way over towards his father. "I just saw you with him! Do you want to ruin this family's reputation?!" Mr. DuGrey yelled.

"He was giving me a ride home from rehearsal! I didn't do anything! He was just giving me a ride!" The small girl pleaded, tears streaming down her face and mascara running with them.

"Don't lie you little-" Mr. DuGrey didn't get a chance to finish as Tristan snuck up behind him and jabbed his elbow into the back of his father's neck. Tristan bent down and helped Mariana to her feet.

"Come with me." Tristan whispered hurriedly, grabbing his sister's hand and leading her upstairs. He ran quietly down a long hallway, and turned into his room. "Here," he said shoving a duffle bag full of clothes at his sister. "Take this bag, these keys, and this license." As he named off each of the objects he handed them to his little sister.

"What is this, Tris?" She asked bewildered.

"I want you to go to Stars Hollow; it's a little town south of here. There's a ton of really eccentric people and they'll help you, okay? I need you to go there and find Rory Gilmore, got it?" Tristan instructed looking his sister straight in the eye.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because you don't deserve to be here anymore. I'm getting out, I promise, but you won't have a way out. I need you to be safe when I'm gone."

"When you're gone? Tris, what are you talking about?" Mariana could feel the tears begging to escape to her cheeks just as the others had. She didn't understand why her brother, her only friend in the entire world, was acting like he was going to leave her.

"Just trust me, okay Mare?" Tristan had two Mare's in this world, and he was about to make sure that this one was safe.

"No! Tell me what the hell is going on!" Mariana yelled.

"Shh!" Tristan whispered hoarsely, gesturing with his finger for her to be silent. "If you're too loud Dad will wake up, and if he wakes up this whole plan is screwed. There's a car out in the driveway, it's yours. Turn the car on, back out, drive away as fast as you can. Get on the highway, and go south. Go to Stars Hollow, you'll know it by the Star's Hollow sign, it's real corny, but you'll know it. Stop somewhere where it looks like there's people and ask to find Rory Gilmore, got it? Rory Gilmore." Tristan said quietly to his sister. Suddenly a drunken screech was heard throughout the house. "Mom just found Dad. Climb out from my balcony; I'll go deal with them."

"But I don't want you to go. Don't leave me, Tristan." Mariana poured; she had never been so devastated in her entire life. Her brother was just dumping her on some stranger's doorstep? She didn't understand.

"Just listen to me, Mare. You aren't safe here, can't you tell? Dad is getting more and more violent by the day. Next thing you know you're going to end up dead." Mariana attempted to interrupt her brother, but he silenced her once more with a gesture. He quietly placed his ear against the door and was frightened by what he heard. Coming up the hallway was the distinct sound of Minilo heels, his drunken mother's favorite. How she managed to stay smashed and maintain the ability to walk in those shoes was astounding, but that wasn't the problem. Hurriedly he shoved his sister out onto his balcony. Before closing the door he said "I love you Mariana. Now go!" and slammed the door behind him.

Mariana had no choice but to run out of there. Tristan had never done anything to harm her before, well there was that one time when they were really little, but he made up for that. She'd never doubted him after that, why should she start now? Carefully she shoved the fake I.D. and the map in the duffle bag and slung it over her shoulder. Pocketing the car's keys she gracefully stepped off of the balcony and onto the trellis to the right. Taking a deep breath she climbed down slowly and jumped the last three or four feet. Landing safely on the ground, Mariana ran to the driveway and hit the unlock button the car's keypad. The lights of a small Dodge Neon glowed from underneath a tree in the corner. 'This is it,' she thought as she ran over towards the car and out of her parent's house.

:-)

Back in the house Tristan casually lay down on his bed awaiting his mother's arrival. As usual he could smell the vodka on her breath before the door even opened. "Tristan!" She screeched when she saw him lying leisurely on his bed. "Your father has been injured!" She cawed waving her arms insanely in the air.

"I know," he said calmly as he picked some lint from the front of his blue shirt.

"Who did it?!" she screamed, her voice rising in pitch with each syllable.

"I did." Tristan retorted with the same sense of cool, although on the inside he was having a time keeping a straight face at his mother's antics tonight. They were particularly funny today.

"Why would you do that?" She asked, swaying with each word.

"Because he was gonna hurt Mariana." Tristan replied, again with a cool visage.

"You do know what this means don't you son?" His mother asked, attempting to look stern in her intoxicated state.

"No, what mother?" He asked, finally allowing a smirk to grace his handsome features.

"Military school, young man. Military school." She smiled. She'd always liked the idea of Tristan going away. There would be a substantial amount more liquor in the house if he didn't drink as much of it. However unlikely that was in real life, it's the way that Mrs. DuGrey saw it.

"Well then, I best go say good bye to some of my friend's then eh?" Tristan stood up, crossed his room, passed his mother, and left the house. He walked down the pathway or stone steps back to the garage where he got into his silver Porsche and drove off. He was supposed to be at Romeo and Juliet, but he wasn't. Rory wouldn't like it, but she didn't like him anyways, isn't that what she said?

:-)

He arrived at the school ten minutes after he left his house. He'd smoked almost an entire pack of cigarettes and was completely restless as he pulled into a parking space in the lot at Chilton. 'It's now or never,' he thought and stepped out of his car.

Rory saw him. He was walking down the hallway with his hands in his pocket and looking straight at her. She began walking towards him, and they met next to a bank of lockers. "Where were you?" She asked hurriedly. They had about fifteen minutes before they had to be on stage and he was standing there in his normal clothes.

"Just listen quick, okay?" He said putting his hands on her shoulders and pulling a bit farther away from the opening. "I sent my sister to your house, okay? Just, take care of her."

"Tristan, what? Why?" Rory was thoroughly confused.

"Just, please do this for me Mary. My sister is gonna be in real trouble, and my parents are shipping me off to military school. They don't know that she's gone, but they really won't care either. Can you please, please take care of her?" Tristan's eyes were moist and his compassion was radiating off of him.

"Yeah, okay." Rory couldn't help but see that compassion in his eyes and she melted just like she always did around him.

"Alright, thank you Rory. I gotta go though; my dad's looking for me. I can tell." He turned to leave and Rory saw the side of his face that had been hit earlier that day.

"What happened to your face?" Rory questioned, her hand reaching to touch his bruised cheek.

"It's nothing." He said quickly grabbing her hand and not letting go. Tristan and Rory looked into each other's eyes "I won't be back for awhile." Tristan said.

"I figured when you said military school." Rory said looking despondent. "I... I didn't mean it when I said that it meant nothing. I didn't mean it when I said that I hated you. I don't know what I'll do without you." Rory confessed, looking at the ground.

Tristan put a hand under her chin and brought her face up to look him in the eye "I know." With that he kissed her gently, the first truly gentle kiss he'd ever given. It lasted all of three seconds but it was well worth it. "I'll write to you." Tristan began to turn around but stopped and turned around, "Thanks for taking care of my sister, Mary." He smiled a genuine smile and left the building.

Paris came running up behind Rory "Was that Tristan?" she asked loudly.

'Way to ruin the moment,' Rory thought, and turned to look at Paris. "Yeah, he's in some trouble. He's getting thrown into military school. What're we going to do?"

"Well, let's just say that you better start sucking down some Altoids."

:-)

Mariana was just reached the Star's Hollow sign when the clock struck ten. 'Great,' she thought, 'I'm here all alone, and no one's going to be around at ten o'clock.' If Mariana, or as her license said, Jenn had been on the verge of tears for the past hour as she attempted to find Stars Hollow in the dead of night, she didn't know what this was.

She drove along and looked for lights on, and came across a guy smoking a cigarette. It reminded her of Tristan so she stopped the car and got out. She walked over to the guy who looked about 17. He had scruffy black hair and brown eyes. He obviously didn't like her there by the way he looked at her. She recognized him from somewhere, but she couldn't place it. "Do you know Rory Gilmore?" She asked.

"Who wants to know?" Jess responded.

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Don't forget to review! It's the best desert to a full course of great FanFics, eh? Hope you liked it! 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, but I use them at my disposal. It's borrowing, I swear!

Author's Note: I am really sorry that this took so long. I had it finished Friday, but I got busy with family stuff and just finished typing it up now. If there's any grammar errors, I'm really sorry, but I just ran Spell Check to get anything really bad out of the way to get it out faster. I hope you enjoy it! Don't forget my forum "So You Wanna Talk Gilmore?" I still check it every now and then.

* * *

When Tristan got home, his bags were already packed. He figured that he'd leave quickly, but not this quickly. Finding a blanket in one of the closets on the second story, he walked out onto is balcony and laid down on it. His mind began to wander, stopping on Rory, reliving their first kiss, their second kiss, and finally the look on her face as he left. He almost got up to call her, but his mind had already started roaming again, and he began thinking about his sister. He wondered where she was, what she was doing, and if she was safe. His entire body ached to drive to Stars hollow right then, to find her, to maker her safe, but he knew that he couldn't. If he went to finder her someone might find out where she was and drag her back to their parent's clutches and then all of this would be for nothing.

Tristan would never admit it, but a tear climbed into his eye. He quickly forced the heel of his hand against his eyes to push the tears back. Standing up, he left the blanket on the porch, threw himself on his bed and willed sleep to come quickly.

:-)

"I'm Mari-I mean, Jenn."

"Okay…" Jess looked at her skeptically. This loon didn't even know her own name.

"Do you know Rory Gilmore?"

"Yeah."

"Who are you?" Jenn asked, surprising herself by asking. She had meant to ask where Rory was, but she couldn't place where she knew this guy from and maybe knowing his name would help.

"Jess." Nope. That didn't help.

"So, Jess, do you know where Rory is?"

"Why do you wanna know?" Jess was getting suspicious. He'd never seen this chick before, and Stars Hollow wasn't much of a place for new comers.

"My brother told me to find her."

"Whatever," Jess was getting tired of talking to the kid. He didn't have the time. "She'll be by the diner sooner rather than later, you could wait there."

"Thanks."

He grunted in response.

:-)

The scene went as well as it could with two female leads. But the aftermath wasn't so great.

"Great job, babe!" Lorelai squealed as Rory walked off stage toward her.

"Yeah, great job, sweetie. But…"

"But what Sookie?"

"Was that _Paris_ as Romeo?"

"Um… yeah."

"Well, hey you just got the whole cast under your belt, now? Madeline and Louise too?" Dean spoke up for the first time since Rory went onstage.

"What?!"

"I saw you and Tristan, Rory," he spat loud enough to draw the attention of the dispersing crowd.

"What are you…"Then it dawned on her; he saw the kiss.

"Yeah. So how long have you two been going at it behind my back, huh? Has he gotten into your pants yet? Well, never mind, he's still around, isn't' he?"

Rory couldn't move. She was frozen to that spot, and all the color had drained from her face. She was lost in herself. Somewhere outside of her haze she could hear her mother getting Dean away from her, and she could feel Lane and Sookie pull her to the side of the cafeteria.

"He wouldn't do that." She mumbled, staring off in to the mass of blurs from her unblinking eyes.

"No, none of us thought he would do something like that." Sookie soothed, misunderstanding the "he" to whom Rory was referring.

Somewhere in the mass of blobs, Rory could make out her mother coming toward them quickly. "C'mon, sweetie, let's go."

Rory allowed herself to be led out to the Jeep.

:-)

"What'll you have?" Luke asked, approaching Mariana at the counter.

"Um… just a salad, I guess." She replied. Then she realized that her parents always told her to eat healthy- salads and fruit and vegetables. Why is she still eating like that? They'll never know. "You know what; maybe I'll have a burger, with everything, please."

"Anything to drink?"

"Coffee please. Ooh and some chili cheese fries."

"Oh God." Luke groaned.

"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?"

"Oh, no, never mind. Your food'll be right up."

"Alright." Mariana looked up and started examining the room. She took in the blue paint and the "No Cell Phones" sign, her hand instinctively going to her pocket where her phone was resting. Her eyes continued to wander around the room, looking at the chairs, the shelves cluttered with odds and ends. She saw the staircase behind the curtain that Jess had run behind.

Her thoughts were snapped back to the present when she felt the heat radiating from the food in front of her. "Thanks," she mumbled, looking down at the food in front of her. She could envision her parents seeing the food before her. She saw them blanching, and then getting mad that she would tarnish their family's reputation with such slanderous actions, and then she stopped. It wasn't a pretty picture in her head.

Fortunately she didn't have to dwell on the thought for long, because she was brought back to reality as a very tall, angry looking teenage boy walked into the diner.

"LUKE!" he screamed. "Where are they?!"

"Dean?" A bewildered Luke walked into the dining area.

"Where are they?"

"Dean, you're scaring my customer."

"Where?!"

"If you don't calm down now and tell me why the hell you're here acting the way that you are, then you're gonna have to go."

"Tell me where they are!"

"Where who are?!"

"Rory and Lorelai!"

"They aren't here. And you're seriously scaring my customer."

Mariana hadn't even noticed that she was staring, wide eyed, a small gap between her lips where her jaw had dropped slightly, at the two men. The mention of Rory brought her back to her senses. Quickly she averted her eyes back to her cooling food, and began eating her burger, eavesdropping silently.

"Sorry, Luke." Dean looked down, realized how stupid he must appear.

""Don't let it happen again."

"Can I get a cup of coffee?"

"Yeah, sure."

Dean sat down at the counter next to Mariana, and started laughing.

Mariana looked up at him skeptically.

"Oh, sorry. I think I'm going insane. I swear you look just like the guy my girlfriend was cheating on me with." He began laughing a maniacal laugh that had Mariana on the edge of her seat.

The wheels started turning Mariana's head. _Tristan's sending me to stay with Rory. This guy is probably dating her. He says I look like a guy who cheated with his girlfriend. I look like Tristan._

"Oh!" She jumped at the sound of the bell when the door opened, almost falling out of her seat.

"Get out of here, Dean." A small Asian girl said after holding her hand out to stop whoever was coming in.

"It's a public place, Lane; I can be here if I want." Dean spat back.

"Luke!" Lane yelled.

Luke came stumbling out from around the corner, the phone cord holding him where he was so he could only stretch his head around to look at Lane.

"Yeah?"

"Um, we kinda need Dean outta here."

"Why?"

"Well, um…"

"Yeah, I'm still here. Hold on Lane. No, no not you. Ugh! I can't believe he hung up on me!"

"Luke?"

"Huh?"

"Dean."

"Oh, yeah, yeah. Why does he need to leave again?"

"I think Rory better tell you, but she won't come in if he's here."

Luke rounded on Dean. "What did you do?"

"Me?! I didn't do anything! She's the lying, backstabbing, whore."

"OUT!!!!" Luke bellowed his face maroon with rage. "Get out of my sight! NOW!" Luke tried to lunged forward at Dean, who was slowly walking out of the diner, and successfully dislodged the phone from the wall and banged his head on the counter.

Mariana looked toward the curtain to see Jess' head disappear back up the stairs. By the time she had turned back around, Dean was gone and in his wake stood a group of four women, one of whom was Lane. A tall, slender woman hurriedly sat a frail looking brunette with crystal blue eyes next to her, and rushed around the counter to Luke.

A larger woman with a cheery face made her way behind the counter and placed a cup of coffee in front of the small brunette. "He you go, sweetie." She said placing the cup on the counter.

"Sookie!" The woman with Luke yelled from the floor.

"Yeah?" Sookie asked.

"Could you get us some ice?"

"Sure thing." And she disappeared into the back.

"Don't let her go back there." Luke grumbled weakly, before settling back down with a few quiet murmurs from the woman next to him.

"Hey, Rory, are you okay?" Lane asked the brunette next to Mariana, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Rory?" Mariana asked.

"Who are you?" Lane asked, not rudely, just curious.

"I'm Jenn." Calling herself by a different name was beginning to get a lot easier.

"Oh." Land looked away.

"Are you Rory?" Mariana directed her question to Rory, who could only manage a weak nod.

"Um, could I talk to you?"

"I don' think that now's such a good time," Lane responded.

Mariana leaned forward and whispered to Rory, hoping that it would work, "I'm Tristan's sister."

* * *

Author's Note 2: I'd really appreciate reviews, but since this chapter is so short and it's almost all dialogue I'd let it slide of you didn't... But only this time! Hope you liked it! Oh, and a chapter of the Tristan and Rory: A Shakespearean Tragedy will be up soon, I've got a chapter in mind right now, I promise!

Lots of Love and Stuff!

Duh


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately I don't own Gilmore Girls; however, I do own a strong love for everything about the show, and that is why I am here.

**Summary: **To protect his younger sister, Mariana, Tristan sends her to stay with Rory after he gets sent away to military school. AU. Eventual TRORY.

**Rating:** PG-13 – Mostly for the stuff in the first chapter and some language too.

**Special Thanks:** To all of you who keep reading my stories even though they get progressively worse! Here's to you just call me fred, loganandveronica4ever, Molinhas, Nicole Katherine, Sea4Shoes, and trory-love08. (These names come from my list of people who have me listed as one of their favorites.)

**To My Reviewers:** Thank you SO much! I love you all! You are the reason that I write these things and put up with the awkward stares in class. Thank you Crystal Moon Magic, princetongirl, Allison, GiLmOrEgIrL129, Coffee91, Nicole Katherine, Curley-Q, LoVe23, Joise, Becky, maryjane21, and just call me fred.

**Author's Note: **I hope you enjoy this chapter, I'm really proud at how quickly I actually got this chapter done with all of the reading that I've had to do for English. Enjoy, Loves!

**Don't Forget:** I've still got my beautiful forum, "So You Wanna Talk Gilmore?" It hasn't disappeared, although I haven't heard from anyone in awhile, so I was just reminding everyone!

**Title: **That's My Sister

* * *

Dean was stalking around, trying in vain to calm himself down. Every time he told himself that he was over reacting, he was Tristan's face. Then he saw him kissing Rory, and slowly the vision would morph to Tristan's hands ravaging _his _girlfriend's body, gradually the fabricated illusion would become more and more passionate until it took all Dean had not to scream out in anger.

He knew that he couldn't go home. If he did his mother would start asking questions that he didn't feel like answering. So he wandered through the town, trying to get her out of his mind and failing miserably. In his wanderings he passed the school where they first met, Doose's where they first kissed, the junk lot where he first told her he loved her, where her car still stood unfinished, and the book store where he realized that he wanted her for the first time.

Mindlessly walking was not going to work, but where else was there to go? Briefly his mind flickered to The Crap Shack, his former home away from home, but he knew that he couldn't go there, not anymore.

He wandered around for another hour until he realized that no matter where he went he'd still think about her, so he started back towards his home. Convinced that he still looked extremely pissed off he opted to climb through his window rather than face his mother. After climbing up the tree and falling through his window, he threw himself onto his bed and fought back tears until, utterly exhausted, he slept.

:-)

Mariana leaned back into her chair. She was sitting in and unfamiliar kitchen with an unnaturally strong cup of coffee between her hands.

"Okay," Lorelai said for the millionth time that day. After Luke got up to his apartment, took some Tylenol, and was nursing his head in bed, Lorelai came down and noticed her daughter talking to a stranger. Rory never talked to strangers.

Flashback

"Hi, I'm Lorelai." She said extending her hand towards Rory's companion.

"Jenn."

"How do you two know each other?" Lorelai asked trying to read her daughter's blank expression.

"I'm a friend of a friend."

"Which friend?" Lorelai was standing behind Rory now with a hand placed lightly on her daughter's shoulder.

"Tristan Dugrey. Lorelai understood her daughter's blank stare. This was not what needed to be happening tonight.

"His sister." Rory croaked out, her voice hoarse from being left unused for hours.

"I think we oughta go home." Lorelai suggested. Sookie and Lane had left before Lorelai had come down, so the three girls left the diner and locked the door behind them.

End of Flashback

"Let me get this straight, you are Mariana Dugrey, not Jenn, sister of Tristan "Bible Boy" Dugrey. You're fifteen, and yet you drove here using a fake I.D. that says that you're Jenn Fallbrook because your brother told you to stay here while he was away?"

"That's my part of the story."

"And Rory you say that Tristan came up to you at the play and told you to keep an eye on his sister because he was going to military school?"

Rory responded with a weak nod.

"Why us?" Lorelai asked.

Mariana shrugged, and Rory answered, "He trusts me. At the play when he told me that he was going to military school. He said that she needs a place to stay because of something with their parents. That's when…"

"When what?" Mariana asked, confused.

"Um, when, uh, Tristan, er, uh, kissed me?" It sounded more like a question then a statement.

"Oh, that's why that guy went bananas."

"Dean." Rory breathed. Secretly she had been hoping that he would call, but now, at one in the morning, she had given up all hope of him calling.

Lorelai, sensing trouble, intervened. "Alright, I think we've all had a very long day. WE should get some sleep. Mariana, you're welcome to stay for a few days while we figure out what we're gonna do. I'll make up the couch for you." She stood and collected some blankets from the closet and began making the couch into a bed.

Rory rose slowly from her chair, throwing a fake smile at Mariana to make her feel welcome. Then she steeped into the bathroom and into the shower.

With both of the Gilmore's busy, Mariana stepped out onto the back porch and pulled her cell phone from her pocket. The warm metal was soothing against the cold air swirling around her her. Flipping it open, she quickly pressed and held the number one key until her phone beeped, letting her know that it was dialing.

It rang three times before she heard his familiar voice. She hadn't talked to him for a month or more and with everything that had happened recently; she just needed to talk to him. He told her that she was crazy for not turning in her parents. That's why they were fighting. But he was her best friend; he should be over it by now. They'd known each other for seven years, but they hadn't actually seen each other for five.

"Hello?" He answered, groggily. A disgruntled voice could be heard in the background. She wasn't used to hearing other voices around when she called, no matter how odd the time may have been. She was lucky to have gotten him at all. A few weeks before she had called his old number, but no one answered so she called another number that he'd given her and an angry man gave her this number.

"Hey babe, um, I just thought that I'd, uh, stop and say hi. You know, since we haven't talked for a while. I, er, kinda, um, missed you."

"It's two in the morning."

"Because you weren't up?" He was over it. It might not seem like it, but he was. If he wasn't he would've hung up a long g time before he ever thought to respond.

"No, I wasn't. Goodnight."

"Night," Mariana smiled. At least something was going to be alright.

:-)

_Thump_

"Ow!" Mariana exclaimed, rubbing the newly forming lump on the back of her head.

"Are you alright?" Rory asked, walking in with two mugs of coffee in her hands, looking significantly better than last night.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Is that for me?" She asked, gesturing towards the coffee.

"Oh, yeah!" Rory handed over a steaming mug while Mariana got up from the floor and flopped onto the couch.

"So are you feeling better? You seemed kind of out of it last night, unless that's how you usually are…" Mariana asked, sipping her scalding drink carefully.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I just needed some sleep."

"Good… I'm really sorry for doing this to you. Imposing like this."

"No, it's no problem. Anything for…"

"So you really like him, huh? I mean, you've got just to take me in like this."

"You know, you ask me a lot of questions. Awkward ones."

"Sorry, it's just… Tristan must really care about you. I'd never even met you and I could tell from the look in his eyes when he told me to come stay with you. Plus, he's really really really really really really really really really really really over protective. He wouldn't let me go with anyone unless he trusted them with his life an then some."

"Wow…"

"You could say that again."

"Wow," Rory smiled so that Mariana wouldn't think that something was wrong. Her eyes were glassy and distant, and even though she tried her best to fight it, a single tear ran down her cheek.

"May we should call him." Mariana suggested, picking up on Rory's pain. "It might make you feel better."

"Can we?""

"Why not?!" Mariana reached down into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She flipped it open with a mere flick of the wrist and hit the speed dial five key.

It rang only once before a hushed and worried voice penetrated her awaiting ear. "Mariana?! Is something wrong?! God, I knew I shouldn't have sent you alone! Couldn't you find Rory? Please say something."

"Hey Tris. I'm absolutely fine. I mean _we're _fine. We just wanted to talk to you."

"We?" Tristan asked, hoping it was anyone but his parents that the "we" could possibly be.

"Yeah, me and Rory. You wanna talk to her?"

"Yes!" Tristan practically jumped out of his seat at the sound of her name. He really did miss her more than he had imagined he would.

"Hello?" An angelic voice inquired as the phone was placed to her ear by unfamiliar hands.

"Hey." Tristan breathed a sigh of relief when it actually was her on the phone.

"So, I had this, uh, surprise waiting for me at Luke's. She says she's yours, is that true?"

"Yeah, but she's safe with you. Mary, I'm sorry about springing her on you like that."

"No, it's okay. Where are you right now?"

"Nearing 50,000 feet about sea level."

"What?! You shouldn't be on the phone! You'll crash the plane!"

"Mary, calm down. It's fine."

"But they say-"

"They just don't want everyone on the plane talking on their cells. People in first class use them all the time."

"Oh, okay." Rory felt foolish for saying something so obviously untrue.

"Don't be embarrassed, Mary. There are so many other reason I'd rather here, or see, you be embarrassed about. Don't waste it on something so insignificant."

"Tristan!" Rory yelled, her face turning a candy apple red. "Wait, how'd you know I was embarrassed?"

"Your tone gets softer like you're trying to hide when you're embarrassed."

Mariana smiled to herself at the encounter between her brother and his friend. She could barely hear what her brother was saying, but based on Rory's reaction, she could guess.

While Rory was on the phone Mariana took the opportunity to examine the house closer. Her eyes drifted from the stairs, across the hard wood floors and yellow walls. She saw pictures of a younger Rory and Lorelai; Christmases and birthdays. Their entire life was chronicled before her on the walls. Then she looked to her right and noticed an enormous collection of movies, larger than any collection she had ever seen in her life. She got lost reading the titles on the outsides of the movies- Riding in Cars with Boys, Casablanca, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Dirty Dancing, Grease, and Footloose.

Mariana was yanked back from her mind when Rory gently touched her shoulder. "He wants to talk to you," she said handing back the cell phone.

"Mariana?" Tristan asked when he heard unsteady breathing over the phone line.

Mariana didn't know why she was so jumpy now. She'd just talked to him ten minutes ago at the most, but she found herself nervous for the first time that day. "I'm here," she said.

"You're alright though, right? You're taken care of?"

"Totally. But, um, what about Mom and Dad?"

"They left on a plane right before mine. They're taking some time off before they have to deal with life again. I believe the phrase "to wash ourselves clean of an immense burden" was used. You've got at least two weeks before they get back."

"Good," Mariana took a deep breath. She was relieved that her parents wouldn't be able to hurt her for two weeks.

"I have to go. The stewardess is giving me a dirty look, and I don't mean the kind that means get off the phone."

"Ooh, should I tell Rory?"

"Tell Rory what?" Rory asked from behind her.

Mariana briefly took the phone away from her ear to answer, "the stewardess is checking him out."

"Oh."

"MARIANA!" Tristan yelled into his phone, wondering how Mary had taken the stewardess news.

"What?" She was better now. No more nerves.

"If you don't know then I'll just have to assume that you're as stupid as you appear. I gotta go though; the plane's going to be landing soon. North Carolina here I come."

"I love you big brother. Call me as soon as you can." Tears were welling up in her eyes. For a brief moment she was going to be okay, but now it all had to end, just like everything else in her life.

"I love you too, Short One. As soon as I can or sooner, I promise."

"You better."

"Bye."

"Bye." Mariana inhaled deeply as she brought the phone away from her face.

:-)

Later that day, the Gilmore Girls and their Dugrey addition were at Luke's for lunch. Lorelai and Mariana had hashed out the details and since Mariana's parents were out of town she was welcome to stay for as long as they were away, but she had to call them in two weeks. Mariana neglected to tell them about her home life, if you could call that place a home. They also decided to keep her alias for convenience sake.

"Luke! Burgers!" Lorelai shouted across the diner. He grunted in response.

"Maybe we should go see the town this afternoon." Rory suggested, running her hands through her hair making Mariana laugh. "What?"

"You run you hands through your hair like my brother."

Rory smiled sheepishly, "I guess I never noticed before."

"I did, love." And all eyes turned to the diner's now open doors.

* * *

A/N2: So I hope that you liked it, and you'll make me very very happy if you hit the review button on the bottom. The next chapter won't be up until after Saturday because all of my efforts as of now are going towards Grapes of Wrath. I'll give up on Wednesday, or finish, either way I can work on writing the next chapter then and the next chapter will be up after that. But I have a question for everyone- PDLD or Java Junkie? I've got two ideas for a new story and I was just wondering if you guys had a preference. Don't worry, this story is a TRORY, but my next story... I still don't know yet. I thought maybe a change would be good. Let me know!

Leave me Love! -Duh


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I wish I owned Gilmore Girls, but I don't. I don't own the people who work there either. Darn!

**Summary:** To protect his younger sister, Mariana, Tristan sends her to stay with Rory after he gets sent away to military school. AU. TRORY.

**Rating:** PG-13 for language and mild violence

**Special Thanks:** To all of you who keep reading my stories even though they get progressively worse! Here's to you just call me fred, loganandveronica4ever, Molinhas, Nicole Katherine, Sea4Shoes, and trory-love08. (These names come from my list of people who have me listed as one of their favorite authors.)

**To My Reviewers:** Thank you for taking the time to review my stories. I love you guys more than anything. I write these stories for you, and I hope that you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them. Thank you just call me fred, OCSblondie, LoVe23, Michaelover101, TrueLoverx3LL, xSweetAshesx, Lil'Angel1012, RBDFAN, predatorynature, JessicaJ, Becky, Ghostwriter, Curley-Q, Nicki, flaruoiea, and princetongirl.

**Author's Note:** How was this for a quick update, huh? I'm very proud of myself. I hope that you guys like it! Oh, and I'm looking for a Beta for this story. I don't offer anything other than whoever accepts get to read the chapter first, gets his/her name put in the Special Thanks space above, and my undying devotion. Email me if you want the job. My email is on my profile. Thanks! Hope you like the chapter, which is the longest chapter that I've ever written by the way.

**Don't Forget:** My forum "So You Wanna Talk Gilmore?" is still up and running. You might like it. It's catharsis. You get to vent about what you don't like, jump up and down for joy and tell us all about it because of what you do. Come on, it'll be fun.

**Title:** That's My Sister: Chapter 4

* * *

Tristan's phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out, and checked the screen. 'One new text message' it said. He flipped open his phone and noticed a familiar number that sent it. It read: 

_How r u mate? Ben awile._

Tristan replied: _Hell yea! 2 long!_

_Wats up? _Came the reply. They traded off text messages for almost an hour, and those messages went like this, the friends traded off back and forth.

_Rents shiping me away_

_Y? Ware?_

_Hit the mega ass and Mom got mad. Stupid drunk. NC. Milit skool_

_Sry mate. Wat about ur sis?_

_Staying w/ a friend._

_Friend?_

_Yea_

_Im hurt_

_Y?_

_b/c she's not w/ me!_

_Im not leving my lil sis w/u_

_Whos she w/?_

_A friend._

_Wich friend?_

_U don't know her_

_Her?_

_Yea. U don't no her_

_Try me. I might surprise u_

_Rory Gilmore_

_Blue eyes? Brown hair? Real name Lorelai?_

_U no her?_

_U think? So Mares w/Rory?_

_Yep_

_Good_

_Y?_

No response.

_Finn?_

Still no response. "Shit." Tristan whispered.

:-)

"FINN!" Rory and Mariana yelled at the same time, stopped, looked at each other, shrugged, jumped up, and ran over to the extremely attractive Australian standing in the doorway, each taking one side.

Finn smiled and looked at Lorelai, "I believe that I just walked into heave. 'Ello darlings," he finished looking down at the two girls in his arms.

"What are you doing here?!" Mariana asked, gripping Finn's shoulder tightly as though she was afraid that he would disappear without any warning.

"Well a little birdie named Tristan told me that two beautiful women were stranded in Stars Hollow without a male escort," Finn started to explain when Rory interrupted.

"Dirty," she giggled.

"Very mature, doll. Like I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," he began again, glaring playfully at Rory. "Tristan told me that these two lovelies were here by themselves and I thought that I would come and keep them company. Wasn't that very sweet of me?"

"Very gentlemanly," Mariana said with a smile plastered on her face.

"Well I am the gentlest."

"And the manliest," Lorelai said, coming to join the hubbub at the door. "Hi Finn."

"Lorelai you look ravishing as always," Finn said raising her hand to his lips.

"I knew there was a reason why I liked men with accents. You're all very charming."

"Come have lunch with us?" Mariana asked, still holding onto Finn for dear life. Rory had already moved away from him and was standing in the conversation of her own free will.

"Well, I could never turn down an invitation for lunch from such a charming child as you, now could I?"

"Who said anything about a child, I'm 16." Mariana looked at him sternly; he was going to understand this alias thing without making a scene.

"When did you get that old, last check I heard you were fifteen, Mare?"

"You know what, let's go outside." Mariana said, looking at Finn again. While they were talking she had finally let go of him and was leading him outside by the arm.

"I guess we'll be right back," he said to the table before the door closed behind him.

"What is wrong, Mare?" He said, after they had stepped outside.

Mariana pulled Finn around the corner and over to a less crowded part of the street. "Listen," she hissed. "I'm not mad at you or anything, but people here know me as Jenn Fallbrook. I'm 16, and drove here myself. I'm here visiting my friends Lorelai and Rory for a couple of weeks while my parents are out of town, okay?"

"Why?"

"Because I've run away, okay? You know what my parents are like you've known me and Tristan for seven years for God's sake. Tristan got sent away and he wanted me to be safe so he sent me here to stay with Rory and her mom, and they don't know about Mom and Dad. Don't blow this for me, please? I've only been her a day, and I think I could learn to like it."

"Yeah, no problem, Jenn." He emphasized her name to show her that he understood.

"Good. You want to go back?"

"Yeah, I think that would be a good idea, love," Finn replied, slinging an arm over Mariana's shoulders on their way back to the diner.

When every one was seated again around a table full of burgers, conversation picked up.

"So how do you two know each other?" Lorelai asked Mariana and Finn.

"Oh, well it's kind of a funny story, you see Tristan was ten and I was eight. We were going to see our grandpa for the first time alone. One day grandpa decided to take us to the park, and while we were there-" Mariana began, but Finn interrupted her.

"The way she tells this story always puts me in a bad light. You see, me and a few of my mates were just having some fun with this guy-"

"It wasn't so much fun as they were practically beating the daylights out of him."

"_I_ never touched him," Finn defended. "I can't say anything for anyone else though."

"Anyways, Tristan went over there to see what was wrong and he found Finn there who said-"

"I said 'we weren't picking on him, really.'"

"And that made Tristan laugh and all of us friends. You could say that the rest is history I guess."

"Wow," Lorelai said. "That really wasn't that interesting, I'm bored again."

"Thank you, love. It makes me feel all tingly inside that I bore you so."

"Your welcome!"

"So, Rory, how do you and Finn know each other? That must have a story too."

"Um, well," Rory said, but Lorelai interjected. This wasn't a story that Rory was proud of.

"What about that tour of the town?" She asked. "I'm sure Finn could help shed some light on it all, couldn't you Aussie?"

"Absolutely, kitten. I would _love_ to give the Stars Hollow exclusive!" Finn said, standing from the table. "Let's go! Oh wait, is that Ms. Patty woman still here? I believe that my rump is still traumatized."

Rory and Lorelai laughed. "She's still here," Rory replied.

"Who's Ms. Patty?" Mariana asked.

"You'll figure it out," Lorelai said. "You kids have fun now. I'll be at the inn if you need me."

:-)

Dean had gone to get coffee, but changed his mind when he noticed the occupants of the diner. Rory was in there with her mother and the girl from the night before. Then he saw another guy walk in there, and he also saw _his_ girlfriend jump into that guy's arms. He was going to have to talk to her eventually, he thought. What were they now? In his mind they were still together, but she cheated on him with the Accountant no less. How could they ever work? But he loved her; he wanted her. He had almost gotten the courage to go into the diner until he noticed the girl he didn't know run out with the guy he didn't know. He followed them around the corner and heard their entire conversation. He ran into Doose's when they turned to leave their hiding spot. Maybe he got something better than coffee.

:-)

"So how should we start this tour?" Mariana asked as they were walking out of the diner.

"Well, you know that's Luke's," Rory said, gesturing behind her to the building they had just exited. "Luke and his nephew Jess live upstairs in the office that Luke turned into an apartment."

Mariana's mind switched to her phone conversation from last night, or rather earlier this morning. She shook her head. It was just a coincidence.

"Now this is basically the center of town," Rory said, moving onto the gazebo after covering the strip next to Luke's.

"Yawn," Finn said. "I think that I might just get some sleep on this bench listening to you talk, kitten." He lay down on the bench and began to snore.

"Am I really that boring?"

"Well," Mariana hesitated.

"Yes, love; you are the most boring tour guide on the face of the planet bar none. And we," Finn pulled Mariana down onto his lap to prove that they were in fact the 'we' he was speaking of, "will not stand for it."

"Well then, what _are_ you going to do about it?" Rory asked, smiling, her hands on her hips.

"We're going to liven it up, of course," Finn said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his cell phone.

"What're you going to do with that?" Rory asked, motioning towards his newly retrieved cell phone.

"I'm going to call in the reinforcements!" Finn punched a series of numbers into his phone, waited, his phone chimed, he read what it said and then exclaimed," The cavalry has been launched! We're not to leave this spot for an hour."

"Where is the cavalry coming from?" Mariana asked. It only takes twenty minutes to get to Stars Hollow from Hartford. Forty-five they came from Boston.

"Better yet," Rory said, "_who_ is the cavalry?"

"Logan and Colin, my best mates, darling. A charming duo really, you'll love them to death!" He waved his hands around to accent how she'd love them to death.

"Again, where are they coming from? It shouldn't take them an hour to get there."

"They have to get supplies! I can't believe you, doll! You've known me how many years, and you're questioning my doings? I'm appalled!"

"I'm sorry, Finn. I apologize." Mariana bowed her head and looked sorrowful.

"Don't look sad! You break my heart like that!" Finn clutched Mariana to his chest and sang "Don't Worry Be Happy" loudly and off key. The two girls busted with laughter and Finn flashed his charming smile. "Who wants ice cream?"

"Me!" Marian said.

"Don't we have to wait for you friends?" Rory asked.

"They'll find us." Finn said casually and stood, Mariana sliding off of his lap. "Onward!"

:-)

"I'm taking my break alright, Taylor?" Dean asked, slowly removing his apron.

"You've got fifteen minutes, young man."

"Yes, sir." Dean opened the door to the grocer, and not looking, ran into someone.

"Sorry," he mumbled turning to leave.

"No problem, mate."

The Australian accent caught him off guard. Dean turned around and saw the new girl, Jenn or was it Mariana? With her was Rory and the guy whose name he thought was Finn. Now was his chance. "Hey Rory, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" He asked looking straight at her.

"No," she mumbled.

"What?"

"This is Jenn and Finn." Rory replied quickly, pointing to each of her friends in turn.

"Dean Forester," he said shaking Finn's outstretched hand roughly and looking Mariana up and down.

"Dean, I think we need to talk." Rory said. "I'll catch up with you guys at Fran's."

"Alright." Mariana looked at Rory skeptically. Wasn't this the loon that was calling her names last night? Finn almost questioned the scenario, but he decided to let it be.

"Dean, what do you think you're doing?" Rory asked after her friends left.

"I'm talking to my girlfriend."

"You don't have a girlfriend here anymore Dean."

"What do you mean, Rory? We haven't decided anything." He was getting angry. This isn't how it was supposed to go.

"Decided?! Dean, I decided that we were over when you accused me of not only sleeping with one guy, but five people, male and female!" Rory yelled. Both teenagers were so upset that neither noticed two heads pop around the corner, skillfully eavesdropping.

"I didn't that we'd break up over that!" He yelled back. If she could yell, then he could to.

"You didn't think that we'd break up after you called me a whore in Luke's? How can you be so blind?!"

"You may think that I'm blind, but I'm not deaf. You have no idea what I know."

"What are you talking about, Dean?" Rory asked, thoroughly confused.

"I'm talking about your friend, Jenn, or should I say Mariana."

"Go to hell, Dean." Rory spat and started towards Fran's. She didn't know what she was going to do, but she knew that she wasn't going to do it when he was this angry. Her mother taught her never to pick a fight with someone bigger than her, and he was definitely bigger.

Rory walked right past the two women who had been eavesdropping on her argument, and she didn't even notice when they turned down the other way saying "East side Tilly's got nothing on us."

:-)

"Dish, doll. What was that with Rory and the grocery guy?" Finn asked Mariana when they were safely hidden inside of Fran's.

"As far as I understand, which as you know is very little."

"You rarely do understand, love. I don't know what you keep in your head, monkeys or something I suppose, but no matter. Proceed."

Mariana glared at Finn who just smiled back at her and waved for her to continue. "Anyways," she said. "the Dean guy caught her kissing Tristan as like a good bye thing, I guess, and they, Dean and Rory, were or are dating, I'm not sure which anymore. Dean called Rory on it after she performed her scene that Tristan would've had to do if he hadn't gotten shipped off."

"Wait a sec, wasn't Tristan there? Why didn't he stay?"

"I don't know. I guess he didn't want to be there any longer. Who really wants to sit around school on a Friday night?"

"Good point."

"So anyways, when Rory got done Dean blew up and said that she slept with Tristan _and _everyone else in on the scene too. Rory freaked out and stopped talking while Lorelai got Dean out of the school. While they were there I was at the diner, by the way. So Dean comes into the diner, I know this part because I lived it just to let you know. Dean comes in, asks for Rory and Lorelai who aren't there. Then when they do get there, Rory won't come in until he leaves so her friend Lane tries to kick Dean out but it doesn't work, and she asks Luke to help who won't do anything without a reason, but then Dean shoots off his mouth calling Rory a whore and stuff and got kicked out. The end."

"Darling, your stories are very rambly did you know that?"

"Yes I did."

"Good, so long as you knew. Then why did she want to talk to him?"

"I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine. We'll have to ask her." Just then, Rory came storming into the bakery red in the face and looking somewhere between bawling and killing. "Hey Finn," Mariana whispered as Rory walked over to the table.

"Yeah," he whispered back.

"Maybe you oughta call off the cavalry." Mariana suggested as Rory sat down.

"Right." Finn said, and began texting Logan again.

"You wanna talk about it?" She asked Rory.

"He knows your secret. I don't know what we're going to do. He kept saying that he didn't think that we'd break up over what he said, and then he said he knew so I told him to go to hell."

"What?!" And astounded Finn proclaimed. "Did you actually say 'hell'? Love, I've known you three years and I've never heard you say anything remotely vulgar! I'm so proud!" Finn pinched her cheeks in a loving manner.

"Yeah, well we're gonna have bigger problems if he tells anyone."

"We'll deal with that when the time comes, love." Finn said, patting Rory on the back.

"It can't be that bad, right?" Mariana asked, looking from face to face. Rory couldn't tell what was going through her head, but Finn could see the horror in her eyes.

"So who's up for a Gilmore movie night? It'll be fun. We'll all unwind and eat copious amounts of crap. Who's with me?!" Finn said putting his hand in the center of the table like in a huddle. Both girls looked at him like he was nuts, but put their hands on his nevertheless.

* * *

A/N: Don't forget to review. It was okay when you didn't review for the bad chapters, but I'm pretty proud of this one so review please! The pretty periwinkle button is my friend, and it can be your friend too! I'm aiming for at least eleven reviews this chapter to beat A Trip To Remember in the amount of reviews it has. 

Don't forget if you like this story enough to Beta email me. It shouldn't be that big of a job; I do use spell check. Thanks for reading and I'll update soon! Oh, and before I forget, what would you think of a two parter for my next story? Like the first part would be LukeLorelai and then the second part would be FinnRory? I know it's too soon to be thinking of another story since I'm no where near even thinking about finding a place to end this one, but just to keep it in mind. What do you think? Like it? Hate it? Tell me!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, so don't sue me. It will be a waste of your money.

**Summary:** To protect his younger sister, Mariana, Tristan sends her to stay with Rory after he gets sent away to military school. AU. TRORY.

**Rating:** T for language and some violent content.

**Special Thanks:** To my beautiful, wonderful BETA GiLmOrEgIrL129 without whome this chapter would still be in limbo land.

**To My Reviewers:** Thank you all so much! You are the reason why I write everyday in chemistry. You and a very boring teacher that is. Thank you LoVe23, Curley-Q, Ghostwriter, marynotace, Nicole Kathrine, Jule, Lil'Angel1012, princetongirl, GiLmOrEgIrL129, and Joise.

**Author's Note:** I'm sorry that this has taken this long to be posted. I've been working on my English project 24/7 for like the past two weeks. This chapter is up now though, and the next one will be up sometime within the next week or so I promise! I don't mean for my updates to get farther and farther apart but I will start picking up the pace again once school calms down. Enjoy!

**Don't Forget:** About my forum "So You Wanna Talk Gilmore?" It's still there, so feel free to check it out sometime! Oh, and on my Profile page is a link to my LiveJournal where I post everything about this stories. If I see a picture that I based an outfit on I'll put it on there. If I'm late for an update I'll explain why in there. You ought to go check it out in case of a long delay or something. You guys can yell at me too on my email because I often need it.

**Title:** That's My Sister: Chapter 5

* * *

Jess sat up in the apartment above the diner. 'It can't be her, he thought. It's been too long for her to just pop up in my life again. She doesn't even know who I am. She saw me, heard my name, hell she heard my voice when she called me and in person, but she still hasn't put it all together. That means that she still remembers me, right?' He thought. In frustration he yanked his leather jacket from the hook on the wall, and felt around in his pocket to make sure that he had cigarettes and a lighter. He needed a break. 

Mariana heard footsteps from the path. She'd stumbled along it on her way to the Crap Shack with some junk food. Rory, Finn, Lorelai, and she had a movie day extravaganza. They watched at least five movies before Mariana decided to take a walk. She thought about this bridge and decided that it would be a good place to think and be alone. Obviously she was wrong.

A tall figure emerged from the bushes dressed in black with a lit cigarette in his mouth. "Mickey?" she said. Finally she recognized him. "You've grown up.'

"Took you long enough," he replied.

"You mean you knew it was me all along? And you didn't tell me?" In her mind Mariana had always planned how their meeting would go if they ever saw each other again. It involved hugging, jumping, smiling, and sunshine. Never in a million years would she have ever thought that it would be like this.

"I would have said something eventually, but I wanted to see if your damaged brain could figure it out."

Mariana smiled. This was classic Mickey. Mickey is his nickname because Mariana didn't like Jess as a name and Jess wouldn't agree to Mouse. The compromise was Mickey. He called her Ana. It was their thing.

"Uh-huh, sure." Jess was sitting right next to her now, and when she'd kick her feet over the surface of the water they'd bump Jess' feet.

"So, why're you here?" Jess asked.

"Better question," Mariana said, "how long have you been here?"

"You answer, then I will."

"Nope. Your answer is shorter than mine. You answer first."

"A month, maybe a little bit more."

"And you didn't think to come and visit me?!"

"I don't have a car."

"Two words- public transport."

"Huh."

"You're not getting away that easy."

"Your turn."

"You know, I think you could figure it out."

"Tell me anyways."

"Tristan sent me."

"Why?"

"Because he's getting sent to military school in North Carolina. He can't protect me from Mom and Dad from there."

"Oh."

"Yeah." Mariana didn't realize that she was crying until she saw her tears disrupt the surface of the water in front of her. Once Mariana realized what she was doing she tried to stop, but that only made her cry harder.

Jess flicked his spent cigarette into the water and did something uncharacteristic. He took Mariana into his arms and rocked her gently.

"I miss Tristan."

"It's going to be okay," he soothed. Kissing the top of her head.

"No, its not. What if Tristan never comes back? What if my parents find me?! I can't go back there alone, I just can't!" By now Mariana had broken away from Jess and was pacing along the bridge.

"Just calm down," Jess said, standing up trying to get a hold of her so she would stop pacing.

"Calm down?! My brother is in North Carolina while I'm stuck here in Stars Hollow and the guy who has had the opportunity to see me for almost a month and hasn't is telling me to calm down!" Mariana waved her arms around in a wild tumult which knocked her off balance. She slipped and fell into the icy water.

Jess ripped his leather jacket off and dove into the water, but Mariana's foot was caught on some seaweed and Jess couldn't get it off of her leg. She wasn't conscious anymore, time was running out and then he woke up.

Jess woke with a start, jolting upright on the bridge which he had dreamt about. He stood, shook his head, and walked away lighting another cigarette as he went.

:-)

"Did we seriously eat all of _that_?!" Mariana asked, gesturing to the two large and empty pizza boxes, the five empty Chinese food containers and the three mostly eaten ones, the empty bag of marshmallows, the empty bottle of chocolate syrup and the rest of the partially eaten food scattered across the living room floor.

"Why, love, I believe we did." Finn had decided to spend the night on the floor of the Gilmore house since drive _all_ the way back to Boston was ridiculous.

Fortunately Rory was feeling much better, or she acted like she was, after watching every Johnny Depp movie that they could find at the Stars Hollow rental store and the assorted episodes from the first season of _21 Jump St._ "What time is it?" Mariana asked, looking around for a clock.

"12:20. Why?" Rory responded.

"Well I figured Tristan might call, but I guess not."

"Why don't we call him then, kitten? It isn't a crime."

"No, he just said that he'd call me back and he's never broken a promise, so we'll give him another day."

"Whatever you say, doll."

"Alright, bed time! As much as I'd love to stay up all-night, I've got work tomorrow so get ya'lls selves to bed. G'night!" Lorelai called as she headed up the stairs.

"Night, Mom," Rory said. "I'm gonna crash too. Night."

"Night, love." Finn said.

Mariana pulled two blankets and two pillows from the linen closet and brought them back to the living room. Finn was curled up on the couch watching the beginning of _Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest_.

"You're in my spot," Mariana whispered, afraid to wake everyone else up.

"Come and get it then, doll."

"Dirty," Mariana whispered sitting on Finn after throwing a pillow at his head.

"You've been here too long, love. You're starting to sound like the Gilmores."

"I've only been here twenty-four hours," Mariana started wiggling around on Finn's lap trying to get him to move.

"Love, don't do that," Finn groaned and pushed Mariana off of him.

"Give me back my bed. You said that you'd sleep on the floor," Mariana whined. She didn't want to sleep on the floor.

"I lied."

"Meanie."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I called you a meanie."

"I think that I'm going to cry now."

"Don't cry."

"Don't be mean at me then."

"Fine. But where am I gonna sleep?"

"You can sleep on the floor or the other end of the couch."

"I hope your feet don't smell."

"They shouldn't."

"Finn?" Mariana asked after she'd settled on her end of the couch.

"Yes, doll," he replied, turning away from the television screen to face her.

"Why won't you tell me how you met Rory? I know it wasn't school because she went to school with Tristan. So how did it happen?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, here's how it happened." Finn rolled onto his back from his side and stared at the ceiling. "She was in the bookstore. Lorelai was next door looking at some clothes. Rory was thirteen and I was fifteen. This perv was watching her and Lorelai for almost an hour. When they split into the different stores he followed Rory. I was in the bookstore blowing some time before my mum was coming to get me. I saw the guy walk in behind a girl; I didn't know anything then, but the guy gave me the willies. He followed her to the back of the store. I followed them." Finn took a deep breath. He wasn't fond of this next part.

"Are you going to finish?" Mariana finally asked. She was more than curious now, and if she had to wait any longer she might walk into Rory's room and ask her herself.

"Yeah, just give me a second, love. It isn't an easy story to tell."

"Just hurry. I'm getting tired."

"She," Finn cooed. "Don't get your panties in a bunch." He took another deep breath and continued, "The guy started talking to her, but she didn't seem interested in talking to him. He kept trying to talk to her until she finally told him-"

"I told him to et away from me," Rory interrupted. "He grabbed my arms and tried to get me back to his car. Finn chucked a book at him before he could get me out of the aisle. The manager called the cops and Finn went to get my mom from next door." Rory had walked over to the chair next to the couch.

"Oh," Mariana said. What else was there to say?

"Her mother tried to make it up to me. She said that she'd get me anything I wanted, even if she had to steal it."

"Yeah," Rory laughed. "I remember that."

"She ended up bringing me back here and shoving pie and coffee down my throat. I come back every so often to make sure that everything is still hunky-dory."

"Not as often as you should," Rory complained.

I'll be at Yale next year, kitten, and then I can come back every day."

"If you don't have class," Rory reminded.

"Class smash," Finn said, waving it off.

"Uh-huh," Rory nodded knowingly.

"Shut up, please," Mariana whispered sleepily, snuggling into the couch.

Finn chuckled. "Good night, Mary."

Rory smiled too, but not for the same reason that Finn did. "I better get back to bed if you guys are done talking."

"Good night, doll," Finn said balling his pillow up under his head.

"Good night."

:-)

"Sunday morning and I'm going to work. Thank you, Michel." Lorelai complained to Rory in the kitchen.

"It won't be so bad. Didn't Toban say that he'd come in early so you could leave at six?"

"Rory," Lorelai said exasperated. "Apple of my eye, love of my life, that so is not the point!"

"Sorry."

"No you're not."

"You're right."

"So what're you kids up to today?"

"We never finished Mariana's tour, so we'll probably finish that off and after that, who knows."

"Sounds like a plan. Maybe you oughta go see Lane so she knows that you're alright."

"That sounds good."

"Off to the salt mines. Mommy will meet you at Luke's for diner at sixish. Love you!"

"Love you too, Mom."

Lorelai went out the front door closing it as quietly as possible behind her to avoid waking the sleeping teenagers on the couch.

Rory sat alone in the kitchen, a coffee much in her hands. 'What was going on in her life? She told her boyfriend- wait, _ex_-boyfriend- to go to hell. She kissed Tristan Dugrey in front of said ex-boyfriend, and she is taking care of Tristan's younger sister who is trying to stay alive since her parents ditched her.' "Where has my life gone?" Rory asked herself, looking down at the coffee cup in front of her.

"It'll be okay, love. He'll come back soon. I don't now how he could stay away." Finn grabbed a mug out of the cabinet and filled it with coffee.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Darling, you are a terrible liar. You know exactly which blond haired, blue eyed hunk I am referring too."

"Yeah, but how can you be so sure? How do you know that he'll come back?"

"Because I'm Finn and I know these things. Don't question my authority."

"Yes, Master Finn." Rory said, pretending to bow down before him.

"Much better. You can stand now, peon."

Rory chuckled, "so where's Mariana?"

"Still asleep."

"Should we wake her?"

"No, let her sleep. She needs it. You can go get ready, kitten, if you feel so inclined."

"I think that I do feel so inclined. I'm gonna go shower."

"Shall I join you?" Finn raised his eyebrow suggestively.

"Don't even try it Aussie."

"Ah man. You don't let me have any fun."

"That's my prerogative."

:-)

"Hi, Mrs. Kim. Is Lane home?"

"It is Sunday. Of course she is home. Where else would she be?"

"Nowhere, I don't know what I was thinking. May we speak to her momentarily?"

"Who is the boy?"

"Him?" Rory gestured to Finn.

"Yes him."

"No one. A customer I suppose."

"We're closed on Sundays. Come back tomorrow."

"Well then," Finn turned on his heel and walked away stopping to tell Mariana that he'd be around the corner when they were through.

"May we please see Lane?"

"You have five minutes starting now." Mrs. Kim moved away from the door and the two girls hurried up stairs to Lane's room.

:-)

"So you're okay? No more freak-outs?" Lane asked once she and her friend were upstairs.

"Nope. I broke up with Dean."

"Excuse me?!" Lane's eyes bulged. "You're just telling me this now?!"

"It just happened yesterday. Don't worry; you're not that far out of the loop."

"Good to know. So how'd he take it?"

"Well, uhm-"

"That good huh?"

"Pretty much."

"Well he'll get over it. I'm sure of it. Someday he'll find some piece of trash who is something close to what he deserves."

"She's right." Mariana chimed in. She had been sitting silently for the past two and a half minutes while listening to the other girl converse.

"You're the girl from the diner right?" Lane asked acknowledging Mariana's presence for the first time.

"Yeah. Jenn Fallbrook." Mariana extended her hand.

"Lane Kim. What did you say to make Lorelai take you home?"

"Uhm-"

"Her parents left her home alone like the Gilmores used to do to Mom and she thought we should help out."

"Cool," Lane bought the lie without question.

"Lane, say good by to your friends it's time for prayer."

"Yes, Mama!" Lane yelled downstairs. "I'll walk you guys out."

:-)

"Where to now, loves?" Finn asked, his arms laidened with Stars Hollow's finest tourist junk. A bag on his right arm made a quiet purring sound.

"Dinner at Luke's! I'm starved!" Rory responded. "It's quarter after six so Mom should be there by now."

"To Luke's!" Finn raised his arm as though he was calling for an army to charge and ran head first to Luke's, his purchases purring the entire way there.

"Hey Jess," Rory said when she and Mariana had made their way to Luke's. Finn was stretched across two chairs at the corner table, casually sipping on a soda.

"Hey," Jess replied walking in the other direction with the coffee pot.

"Where was he yesterday? I don't remember seeing him."

"I guess yesterday was his day off or something." Rory shrugged. With everything that happened that weekend, she hadn't even noticed that he hadn't been working.

"Why, whatever took you so long, loves? I swear I've been here for hours!"

"Yeah right," Mariana rolled her eyes attempting to sit in the chair next to him. Finn refused obstinately and wouldn't let her sit.

"You were being mean at me again and now you want to be friends? I don't think so," Finn said wagging his finger back and forth.

"Fine then," Mariana replied and sat down promptly on Finn's lap.

"Does this mean you love me, darling?"

"You know it." Mariana replied looking back at Rory who smiling at their antics.

"Hey Finn, where's my mom?"

"I don't know, kitten. She isn't here yet, I suppose."

"Hm, I guess Toban was late."

"What'll it be?" Luke asked walking over. "Hey, where's Lorelai?"

"She's at the inn. Michel called in sick today because Chin-Chin had a 'stomach problem'."

"That's a long way to say gas, mate."

"Ah jeez," Luke said, putting a hand over his eyes. "Too much information."

"Sorry," Rory apologized although she was smiling a little.

"So what are you having?"

"Should we wait for Lorelai?" Mariana asked.

"Yeah, probably." Rory said. "But I'll have some coffee while I wait."

"A chocolate milkshake, please," Mariana chimed in looking at Luke who was eyeing Finn and her.

"Sure, coming right up." Luke said, turning and walking to the kitchen.

Jess brought coffee over to the table and that's when it all happened.

"Jess," Mariana said smiling warmly.

"Hey Ana," He froze. Why did he do that?! He hadn't meant to, it just slipped out. "Uhm gotta go." And Jess ran. He ran upstairs and locked the door behind them.

"What was that about?" Luke asked, staring up the stairs.

"Um, Luke would you mind if I went upstairs to talk to Jess?" Mariana asked as she walked towards the stairs.

"Yeah, sure," Luke said, thoroughly confused.

"Did you hear what he called her?" Rory looked at Finn.

"Yes, love."

"You don't think Dean told, do you?"

"I guess we'll find out."

* * *

A/N2: Well that was a pretty good chappie, eh? Tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what didn't make sense. All you have to do is hit that pretty periwinkle button. It's really that easy. Thanks for reading! 


	6. Chapter 6

This is seriously the last time that I'll re-publish this chapter. Everything that can be thought of to improve has been improved. Now you can read and enjoy in peace.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls, and I probably never will. Get over it.**

**Summary:** To protect his younger sister, Mariana, Tristan sends her to stay with Rory after he gets sent away to military school. AU. TRORY.

**Rating:** T for language and mild violence

**Special Thanks:** I want to thank my BETA, Tink, for her help on the last chapter, and I would like to ask her to go over this even though I've already posted it so I can change out the chapter when I have more time.

**To My Reviewers:** Thank you all! I love you tons! Thanks to LoVe23, princetongirl, OCSblondie, Ghostwriter, Curley-Q, Nicole Katherine, Sea4Shoes, Joise, and OTHlover04. Without you guys, it isn't worth it.

**Author's Note:** I apologize from the bottome of my heart for not updating sooner. There's nothing more I can say. I do, however, have the next chapter written. Unfortunately I haven't even started on the chapter after that. I'm working on it, I promise. And on the bright side I have less than 30 school days left until summer, and then I can write like crazy. Enjoy!

**Don't Forget:** About my forum "So You Wanna Talk Gilmore?" It's still there, so feel free to check it out sometime! Oh, my LiveJournal which is open all the time for the newest news for all of my stories. The link is on my Profile page!

**Title:** That's My Sister: Chapter 6

Last Time:

_Jess brought coffee over to the table and that's when it all happened._

"_Jess," Mariana said smiling warmly._

"_Hey Ana," He froze. Why did he do that?! He hadn't meant to, it just slipped out. "Uhm gotta go." And Jess ran. He ran upstairs and locked the doors behind them._

"_What was that about?" Luke asked, staring up the stairs._

"_Um, Luke would you mind if I went upstairs to talk to Jess?" Mariana asked as she walked towards the stairs._

"_Yeah, sure," Luke said, thoroughly confused._

"_Did you hear what he called her?" Rory looked at Finn._

"_Yes, love."_

"_You don't think Dean told, do you?"_

"_I guess we'll find out."_

:-)

"Mickey!" Mariana yelled, pounding on the door. "I know you're in there! I don't want to break down Luke's door, but I will!"

The door opened quickly causing Mariana to fall head first into the apartment.

"Ugh," Mariana groaned. She'd have a lump the size of Texas on her forehead.

"What?" Jess said. His eyes looked blood shot.

"Were you crying?"

"No, Ana."

"You know, for the last five years I've thought about finally seeing you again. I had scenes of how it would go, and I can tell ya, none of them were like this. They all involved sunshine and hugs."

"Sorry to burst your bubble." Jess dead panned.

Mariana could hear it raining outside, and despite herself, she laughed.

"What're you doing?" Jess asked, eyeing her giggly expression.

Mariana continued to laugh, and the expression on Jess' face only made it worse.

"Here," he said, handing her an ice pack for the rapidly swelling lump on her head.

"Thanks," Mariana said her laughing fit subsiding.

"I've got to get back to work." Jess said, moving toward the door.

"Wait!" Mariana yelled. "Can I ask you something?'

"If I said no would that stop you?"

"No."

"Then go ahead." Jess sighed.

"You knew that I was here when I called you the other night. Why didn't you say something?"

Jess sighed. "I wasn't sure if it was you or not. You've changed a lot in five years."

"You too, Mouse," she teased.

"Ah jeez," Jess said.

"You sound like your uncle."

"Huh," he replied. Getting closer to the door. "If we don't get downstairs soon, Luke will come up here think that we're doing 'adult' things."

"Uh-huh," Mariana said, smiling as she walked past Jess. "I see." And she exited the apartment.

:-)

The entire diner was silent when Lorelai walked in "Who died?" Lorelai asked.

"Mom!" Rory yelled from the corner, gesturing for her to come over.

"Why's everyone so quiet?" Lorelai whispered, sliding into the chair next to her daughter.

"Jess called _Jenn_," she emphasized the name, "Ana."

"Oh?" Lorelai asked not fully grasping the concept.

"Oh," she said a hint of worry in her voice and she looked toward the stairs.

"I think that I'll go up there." Finn said beginning to stand.

"I don't think you'll have to. Luke won't let them be up there by themselves for too long." Lorelai said.

Then Finn heard a loud thump from upstairs. "I'm going up there," he said. Tristan would kill him if something happened to Mariana.

"Okay," Rory said, looking toward the staircase. What would Tristan do if she let his little sister get hurt? Jess wouldn't hurt her, would he? She thought.

Finn had made his way towards the stairs. He was halfway up them before he could hear the voices behind the door.

"Why didn't you say something?" he heard Mariana say. It didn't sound like they were fighting. Finn started backing away until he heard the guy says "You've changed a lot in five years."

Was he coming on to her?

Finn climbed back up the stairs. When he stepped onto the penultimate step, the door swung open and a smiling Mariana stepped out.

"Finn?" She asked. Confusion covering her face, but it was quickly replaced with anger. "Were you spying on me?"

"No, doll! Whatever gave you that impression?

"Whatever." She said and stormed downstairs her good mod ruined.

:-)

Finn left from the diner. He was supposed to be at school the next morning and he wouldn't be able to go if he was still hanging around Stars Hollow.

"Good bye, love. I know that you're mad at me, but still know that I love you and call if anything bad happens. In fact, just call. No matter if something good happens, something bad happens, or nothing happens at all. If you breath, I want you to call me."

"Finn?" Mariana asked from her position against her friend's taste.

"Yes, doll?"

"I _can't_ breathe."

"That feeling is m love crushing you because it is so overwhelming."

"Uh-huh," Mariana laughed when Finn released her.

"And to you, other love," Finn said, turning his attention to Rory and enveloping her in a death grip as well. "If you have any problems with the bean pole, just call me and I'll be here faster than you can say my name."

"Finn?"

"No, you're supposed to say 'my name', love. Try again."

"No, I can't breath either."

"It's my love doll. Don't every forget that." Finn kissed Rory and Mariana both on the forehead, said good-bye to Lorelai, and climbed into his awaiting Hummer.

"Oh, and Rory, love, if you happen to change your mind about Tristan, I'm always available."

"Ha ha, very funny, Finn. I don't think that's going to happen."

"Well, if it does-"

"Just drive Aussie," Mariana yelled, laughing as he pretended to cry and pulled out of the driveway.

"So," Lorelai began turning towards the girls, "What next?"

""Personally," Rory began, "I'd like to know what happened at the diner, if you don't mind, Mariana."

"Well, uh, not at all, I guess. But can we go inside first? It's kind of could out here."

"Sure," Rory said and they walked inside.

Once they were all seated around the kitchen table with coffee in their hands, Mariana began, "Mickey and I have known each other for about five years."

"Who's Mickey?" Lorelai asked.

"Sorry. Jess," Mariana corrected.

"How do you get Mickey out of Jess?" Rory asked, attempting to keep a straight face and failing miserably.

"When I first met him, Mickey, then Jess, was reading-"

"No surprise there," Rory interrupted.

"He was reading in Central Park. It was an uncommonly windy day, and his hair was sticking up from all angles. On either side of his head, the hair had risen up into half circle-like blobs. He looked like Mickey Mouse from the back."

"Ah, I see," Lorelai said, "continue."

"Mickey and I haven't seen each other in five years."

"Then how could you be so chummy?" Lorelai asked, pulling out a bag of popcorn and sticking it in the microwave.

"I don't know exactly why I talked to him, or why he talked back, he isn't the most garrulous person I've ever met," Mariana continued, staring into her coffee mug. "But I talked and he talked back and we continued to talk for hours. We complemented each other, you know? Anyways, he let me see his book that he was reading. I think that it was _The Giver_. Regardless, I scribbled my number in the front cover and told him to call me. There was no way in hell that I was going to let such a cool friend out of my life so quickly. It surprised me when he called though. But I've kept the same cell phone number ever since, just in case we lost touch for a while and he decided to call. A few months ago we had a falling out so to speak and I hadn't heard from him until I came here."

"Wow," Rory said.

"Small world, huh?" Mariana offered at the Gilmores' stunned faces.

"Yeah, real small," Rory said.

:-)

"So what are you going to do all day?" Rory asked as she and Mariana walked toward Luke's Monday morning.

"I'm not sure. I have to call my school and tell them I'm on vacation, but after that I don't know."

"You could always help out at Luke's. Lunchtime gets pretty busy in there."

"I'll have to ask him," Mariana said cheerfully.

"The sun is really bright out here. Let's go inside."

"Could you do me a favor and send Mickey over to the gazebo. I'll be there in a minute."

"Uh, sure, what for?"

"Just an old dream."

"Alright," Rory eyed Mariana warily, but entered the diner in search of Jess. She found him standing over the table by her mother. Faintly she could hear Lorelai use the word 'Mickey'.

"Jess, Jenn wants to see you in the gazebo."

"Who? Oh yeah, why?"

"She didn't say."

"Huh," Jess shrugged; sat down the coffee pot he was holding and walked outside.

"What's up?" He asked walking up the steps to where Mariana was sitting in the gazebo.

"You need to stand here," she instructed, pushing him up against the post of the gazebo.

"What've you doing?" He demanded, ignoring the tingling in his chest where her fingers rested.

"I am going to see you for the first time in five years."

"What?"

"It didn't happen right last time! This time I'm going to do it right."

"Why?"

"Because it's one of those little things that you love about me."

"Uh-huh," he replied, leaning up against the gazebo, settling himself comfortably.

"Alright, I'm going to walk around from that corner, and see you standing here. Then, we're gonna go with it."

"Whatever." Jess shrugged, fighting back a smile.

Mariana ran around the corner, and leaned up against the building trying to catch her breath. She hadn't seen him in five years, sort of. Was she really going to do this? Yes, as long as she didn't chicken out.

Jess didn't know what was taking so long, but he patiently waited. Mariana eventually made her way around the corner. She was looking at the ground and her blonde hair fell over her shoulders. Slowly she lifted her eyes and she looked at Jess; her blue eyes shined in the bright morning sun. For a long time she stared at him, taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart.

Jess pushed himself off of the column that he had been leaning on. 'She said to go with it, right?' Jess thought. They met on the sidewalk, and Mariana looked at him quizzically. "Mickey?" she whispered.

Jess nodded. Mariana gasped, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Instinctively, Jess' arms wrapped around Mariana's waist. They were spinning in ecstasy, and then they weren't. Mariana still had her arms around Jess' neck. Jess' arms were firmly planted on her hips. She looked into his chocolate brown eyes and said "I missed you."

Jess nodded again, and his head began to lower. Mariana lifted onto her tiptoes. Their faces were an inch apart when Rory came running out of the diner. "Jenn!" She yelled from the steps leading to Luke's.

Mariana and Jess split like two positive magnets.

"Oh, sorry I interrupted," Rory said, backing away.

"Don't worry about it!" Mariana yelled back. Jess had started walking in the other direction when they split apart. "What's up?"

"Luke said that if you wanted to help out today that you could."

"Oh, cool," Mariana said, entering the diner with Rory.

"Where's Jess?" Luke asked.

"He left," Mariana said quickly.

Luke growled under his breath and walked away.

"Anger issues, huh?" Mariana laughed. Life would be easier if she just didn't think about her and Jess.

Rory grabbed three donuts from the case. She put two in one bag and on in another. "Here," Rory said, shoving the one donut at Mariana and walking out from behind the counter. "I'll take this one to Mom since she left with out one, and catch the bus at the inn."

"Alright," Mariana said. "I'll go call my school." Mariana pulled out her phone and started to flip through her address book.

Luke turned around and barked, "No phones!" and pointed to the sign.

"Wow. He really is angry isn't he?"

"He just doesn't like cell phones."

"Oh," Mariana quickly stashed her phone and walked outside with Rory.

"See ya later," Rory said and walked away.

Mariana quickly dialed the school's number and pretending to be her mother, she claimed that her aunt who lived in France had recently died and that Mariana would be out for two weeks at least.

When that was through, Mariana walked back into the diner and said, "Ready for work, boss."

:-)

"Hi, my name's Jenn and I'll be your server today. What can I getcha?" Mariana asked the table in front of her.

"Just some water would be great, thanks," the woman said.

"Coming right up!"

The bell above the diner's door chimed and Mariana looked up. Lane walked in and said, "Hey, Jenn right? I didn't know that you worked here."

"Oh, hey Lane." Mariana greeted setting the water down on the table she was serving. "Yeah, I just started work today."

Lane sat herself down at the counter and Mariana rotated the pie so that the uncut side showed. She heard Lane humming a familiar melody and said, "Blister in the Sun, right?"

The Korean's eyes shot up. "You know the Violent Femmes?" She said.

"Know them? I love them. Kiss Off is definitely their best song. Blister in the Sun is good, but way overplayed."

"Agreed," Lane said smiling.

"So what can I get ya?" Mariana asked, going back to her job. It was around one, and Mariana had been working non-stop since eight. She liked working; she met some very interesting people.

"Just some Coke, please."

"Got it." Mariana placed the cup in front of Lane and walked over to the only other occupied table and to its order.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" Mariana asked when she put in the order to Caesar.

"My last class went on a field trip to a ranch. I decided to abstain and leave school early."

"Not a farm girl?"

"More like an aversion to anything that the word 'farm' entails."

"Ah."

"So, if you know the Violent Femmes, who else do you, know?"

"Lots. Anything specific?"

"Red Hot Chili Peppers?"

"Love 'em. I wish that they'd come up with a new CD soon."

"INXS?"

"Only the best Aussie band ever."

"REM?"

"It's the end of the world and I know it."

Lane laughed. "Here's a hard one- James Laid?"

"Die my eyes and call me pretty." Mariana said smugly.

"You rock!"

"Thank you."

"Jenn, your order's up!" Caesar yelled from the kitchen.

"Thanks Caesar." Mariana delivered the food and came back. "You and I should do something together this afternoon."

"Yeah. When do you get off?"

Mariana shrugged. "I don't know. I figure when Jess gets back."

"What about me?" Jess asked entering the diner and walked toward the stairs. "Does Luke know that you're behind the counter?"

"I work here when you're at school, but now that you're here, I'm going out with Lane. Thanks Mickey." In any usual occasion Mariana would've bounced over and given Jess a hug and a kiss on the cheek for being nice enough to show up, but nothing was normal anymore. Mariana took off her apron, handed it to Jess, and walked out with Lane.

:-)

"It looks fantastic!" Mariana screamed when she looked in the mirror. She and Lane had decided that it would be fun to get their hair done, Mariana's treat. Lane barely got her hair trimmed, but enjoyed the manicure that Mariana insisted on getting for her. Mariana on the other hand went for something more extreme. Her blonde locks were now short and spiked outward in the back. "Lane, what d'ya think?"

"It's black and red and short and very rock and roll."

"Thank you." Mariana bowed playfully and handed the lady at the front desk her credit card. "The new me," she whispered.

"What?"

"Nothing," Mariana smiled. "How about some ice cream?"

"Deal." And the two friends trudged to Fran's.

:-)

"Any mail?" Rory asked after Mariana came in. After she and Lane got ice cream, Mariana went back to the Gilmore House.

"Yeah," Mariana said, flinging herself back onto the couch next to Rory.

"Let me see," Rory said taking the mail from Mariana's lap and flipping through it found two bills, six college brochures, and two hand written letters; one for Rory and one addressed to Mariana.

"These have to be from Tristan," Mariana said. "It's his handwriting."

"Ohm" Rory said, her hands quaking slightly.

"Aren't you gonna open yours?"

"Um, in a second. I think that I'm going to change first."

"Alright." Rory picked up her letter and walked to her room.

Mariana shrugged and opened her letter.

:-)

Rory lay down on her bed and took deep, shaky breaths. With unsteady hands she slide the envelop open, and drew out a piece of lined paper.

_Dear Rory,_

_Ever since this started, I thought that it would never stop, but all good things must come to an end. I guess we never really had a start. A start implies having something, and I never had you to call my own. Life isn't fair, and I know that now. I never thought that I could fall for someone like you- someone who is so perfect that it physically makes me ache to see her leave. Thank you for watching Mariana for me. I don't know what I would do without you._

_I love you,_

_Tristan_

Rory's head fell back onto her pillow and her body soon followed. The emotions that she tried to keep bottled up inside of her bubbled to the surface. She cried.

Mariana soon realized that Rory had taken longer than necessary to change. She debated checking on Rory versus giving her some privacy. Compromising, she listened through the door to make sure that everything was alright. When she heard muffled sobs, her mind was made up. Slowly she opened the door and padded over to Rory's bed. Neither girl said a word, but both understood. Rory and Mariana were now linked by one mutual woe. They both missed Tristan.

Mariana sat down on the bed, and Rory laid her on the newly formed lap. Rory cried. Mariana cried. And they both fell asleep. Neither heard the town meeting being called.

**Maran-DUH - it might be good to have Rory have a reaction to Marianas new hair- it gives it more continuity. Just a thought- Tink**

Top of Form


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gilmore Girls, and I never will. Get over it; I have.

**Summary:** To protect his younger sister, Mariana, Tristan sends her to stay with Rory after he gets sent away to military school. AU. TRORY

**Rating:** PG-13 for brief language and tear-jerking ability.

**Special Thanks:** To my BETA Tink who fixes these chapters for me since I'm too lazy to do it myself.

**To My Reviewers:** I'm sorry that I haven't gotten back to all of you personally. I have no excuse. Please forgive me. I love you all, and I hope that you enjoy this chapter.

**Author's Note:** I didn't mean for this chapter to take so long. It was actually the easiest chapter to write; I just haven't gotten on the computer and uploaded it. You guys would make me very happy if you'd review. I'm going to try to get the next chapter up within a week, but no promises. I'm trying my best though.

**Title:** That's My Sister: Chapter 7

* * *

The airport was crowded, and he never liked crowds much, but that didn't matter. He was doing something right for a change. He missed too much being so far away, and he was sure to miss more if he didn't do something. It wasn't hard to get out, he just had to sign a few forms as his father, flash a fake I.D., and get the hell away. His plane was leaving in ten minutes, and then he'd be home. 

:-)

"Rory," Babette yelled from the front porch.

Inside Mariana heard banging on the door, and soon after, Babette's voice. She tried to wake Rory and get her to answer for the door would soon buckle from the banging, but Babette was faster.

"Dolls! I saw the lights on and I figured that you didn't hear about the spur of the moment town meeting. Were you two sleeping or something? Oh, I didn't mean to wake ya, I just wanted to let you know. I'll just go now. But if you change your mind, town meetin's are always fun. Bet'cha Jenn'd like ta see one. Alright, bye dolls."

"Babette, wait!" Rory's head was spinning from the need to process so much information at once. "Why are we having a town meeting?"

"I really don't know, sugar. But I heard that Dean convinced Kirk to convince Lulu to convince Andrew to convince Joe to convince Patty to call one. Somewhere along the line Taylor heard about it and went and talked to Dean himself, but no one's saying a word! So are you girls coming or what?"

"Yeah," Jenn answered. Rory was pale and had gone rigid after hearing Dean's name. Both girls knew that this couldn't be good.

:-)

"Lorelai!" Sookie yelled from the kitchen. "Town meeting! Are you going?" She had run from the back up to the front desk and was panting horribly.

"Sookie, calm down and breathe." Lorelai waited until Sookie had calmed down. "What about a town meeting? It's Monday. We never have Monday meetings."

"I don't know, but all my kitchen staff could talk about during clean-up was this town meeting. They said that it'll be a doosie."

"What's it about?"

"No one knows, that's the thing. So are we going?"

"Might as well," Lorelai responded watching the night manager walk in.

:-)

"To Stars Hollow," he told the cabbie. His command was met with a cold stare. A large sum of money was then exchanged and the cab rolled away from the curb.

:-)

Rory and Mariana were walking toward Ms. Patty's when they heard someone behind them. Both of the girls turned and saw Dean.

Rory gasped. Mariana stepped forward and asked, "What do you want Dean?"

"Out of the way Mariana," he spat.

"What did you just call me?" Mariana responded acting as though she had been called a foul name.

"Mariana. That's your name, isn't it?" Mariana's silence confirmed everything.

"Thought so," Dean stepped past Mariana and over to Rory. "I won't tell," he said bending down close to her ear, "if you forget about the Accountant and come back to me."

Mariana shook her head, "Don't do it Rory. It's not like it will make that big of a difference."

Rory was having trouble thinking straight. Dean wanted her back. If she didn't go back to him, he was going to expose Mariana. Tristan told her to keep his sister safe. If Mariana was exposed then who's to say that she'd still be safe? Tristan gave her an alias for a reason Tears silently rolled down Rory's cheeks when she thought about Tristan. If she said yes, then she'd probably never see him again. Never again would she read his scrawled hand writing in a love letter, or feel him watching her from across the room.

The tears started pulling harder and harder towards the brim of her eyes. She slowly nodded her head, and felt Dean pull her roughly into his arms. She had to keep her promise to Tristan, even if that meant that she'd never see him again.

Rory had to use all of the force left in her body to keep from letting the tears fall from her eyes. "I knew you'd see it my way," Dean whispered harshly, forcing Rory to look up at him so he could kiss her. "I'll call off the meeting. Goodbye, Jenn," he said, showing true to his deal.

Mariana rushed over to Rory after Dean had left. She coaxed her somber friend down to Ms. Patty's to see the show.

:-)

"Why're we here Taylor?!" Babette yelled from her seat.

"Yeah," Gypsy chimed in. "I'm missing the _Dallas Reunion _episode."

"Isn't that a rerun?" Andrew asked.

"No one asked you, Andrew."

"Jee, sorry."

"So why're we here?" Lorelai asked settling back into her seat, her tin foil wrapped hot dog in her hand.

"Our own Dean Forrester," Taylor said motioning to his left where the lanky rat stood, "has discovered a heinous secret that has been kept from us all for days. Personally, I don't care to be lied to and this being such an awful lie; well, I am appalled. This problem needs to be rectified immediately."

"Spit it out, Taylor!" Someone yelled from the audience.

"I think that Dean should tell you this one." Taylor said, looking out at the audience. In truth, he didn't know what was going on, but Dean had given up a month's salary for this meeting and Taylor was willing to go along.

"Sure," Dean said. "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to announce that Rory and I are back together."

Someone in the back coughed, and the back door slammed shut, but no one paid any attention since Taylor had retaken his position at the podium and was yelling at Dean. "Young man," he said, "This was not what you implied that you were going to discuss."

"I needed something to get your attention." Dean shrugged and walked down the center aisle to the seat next to Rory.

The meeting had fallen into casual disarray and Taylor brought the meeting to order. "I'm sorry for this, folks. It was out of my power. Goodnight."

With the meeting adjourned people began pouring outside, but none of them paid any mind to the cab that was sailing out of town.

:-)

"Care to explain?" Lorelai asked when the girls had re-entered their house after the meeting.

Rory stared at the floor, trying to escape into its pattern.

"Tristan was here." Mariana blurted out. Two pair of crystalline blue eyes shot to her face. One pair was curious, the other bloodshot.

"What?" Rory mouthed rather than said, her voice failing.

"My brother was here," Mariana repeated.

"How do you know that?" Lorelai asked, hurrying over to Rory's side and helping her stay standing. Rory looked weak.

"I can smell him. He's worn the same cologne since he was eleven. I know what he smells like."

The room was silent except for the ticking of a clock in the hall. Then Mariana said, "I think that he was at the meeting."

"Why?" Lorelai asked, leading the party out of the foyer and into the living where Rory could sit comfortably on the couch.

"I thought that I was hallucinating. Weirder things have happened."

"What are you talking about?" Rory snapped, but immediately apologized and sank back into her mother's arms.

"Tristan was at the meeting. I thought that I heard him cough, but I blew it off as a coincidence. I didn't even look back." Mariana buried her face in her hands.

"It's not your fault," Lorelai said, rubbing Mariana's shoulder with one hand.

"He heard," Rory croaked out. She started sobbing.

"He left because of Dean," Mariana said, her face beginning to turn red. "My brother came to see me, but left because of Dean. Stupid mother fucking Dean."

"Watch your language!" Lorelai berated.

"My brother…" Mariana looked down at the coffee table.

"You guys were really close," Lorelai stated rather than asked.

"He always protected me, always. Dad could go off on me, and I would hurt for a week, but it could have been so much worse. Tristan always took half of it with me. Always."

"Wait, what are you saying?" Lorelai asked, alarmed.

"Never mind," Mariana amended, realizing her mistake.

"Mariana, do your parents hurt you?"

"No," Mariana lied.

"Mariana, this is a serious problem. You should go to the police."

"And say what, Lorelai?!" Mariana asked, her voice rising. "'Hi, I'm Mariana Dugrey. My father who is one of the most prominent men in Hartford has been beating my brother and me since we were born.' Anyone who heard that would laugh in my face."

"You can't live like that." Lorelai argued.

"I've done alright the past fifteen years."

"Mariana, you should at least try."

"It won't help."

"You never know that," Lorelai persisted.

"You don't understand," Mariana said, picking up her duffle which she kept behind the couch. She walked out of the door.

:-)

His phone rang from inside of his jacket which he had discarded after he drove up to the sandy bank. The blue Chevy Trailblazer that was sitting a few feet away was a rental that he picked up outside of Stars Hollow. He couldn't stand the smell of the cab anymore. He fought the urge to avoid the call, but decided that he best answer in case it was an emergency. Glancing at the Caller I.D. he briefly smiled, but then realized that he didn't have any reason to smile anymore.

"What?" He answered the phone roughly. He wouldn't have answered at all if it weren't for the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Tristan?" Rory asked tearfully.

"Who else would it be, Rory? Shouldn't you be talking to your boyfriend right now? I mean, I know that we never really had anything, but you could've at least respected me enough to give me a whole week out of state before you moved back to the shit face."

Rory couldn't respond. That hurt too much to bear. Lorelai untangled the phone from her daughter's fingers and said "I don't know what you said, boy, but you best be glad that you're not near me. As much as I'd like to come and kill you for whatever dip shit thing you just said, I can't. Your sister's missing. We thought you'd like to know."

"What?" Tristan asked, incredulous. A complete turn around from where the conversation had started at.

"She left about ten minutes ago. We thought that she might come back, but she hasn't. We don't know where she went but she took the car and her stuff. Find her, Tristan. She's a good kid."

"Yeah, I know." The phone clicked off after he said that, and Tristan ran to his car. He knew exactly where Mariana would go in a time like this. It's where she always went. Usually he didn't follow her, but they were both hurting now, and he had to play the big brother card. Big brother was coming to the rescue.

* * *

A/N: Not the best chapter, and not the longest either, but it is worth a review or two I think. Can't wait to hear from you! 


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